Valve wheel for foot control



Sept. 9, 1969 FORTE 3,465,379

VALVE WHEEL FOR FOOT CONTROL Filed March 29, 1967 [[IHIHHHHH l l I l I l I INVENTOR JOAN M. FORTE BY Mama ATTORNEY United States Patent US. Cl. 16-110 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Includes removable valve wheel control that is formed for removable association with existing valve wheels in bathtubs or the like and has a head with a cavity conforming to the shape of existing valve wheels. The valve wheel control can have one or a pair of arms extending from the head so that the foot of a person trying to control a bathtub while lying therein can engage the same. When the head of the removable valve wheel engages the existing valve wheel, the existing valve wheel and its arm(s) are then positioned so that they can be engaged by the feet and actuated to control the flow of water.

This invention relates to an improvement for bathroom and more particularly to a new and improved valve wheel which enables a person lying in a bathtub to control the Water flowing into a bathtub by means of his feet.

While there have been many inventions relating to the home, little attention has been paid to the bathroom where there have not been a commensurate number of improvements. One of the drawbacks with bathtubs is that when a person is lying in a bathtub there is in most cases no convenient way of controlling the water while lying in the tub.

I have corrected the aforementioned disadvantage of existing bathtubs by providing an improved removable valve control wheel which can be removably associated with existing valve wheels in order to provide a way of controlling the water in bathtubs by means of the feet. The removable valve control wheel has a head with a cavity formed therein which conforms to the peripheral shape of an existing valve wheel in order that the head can be associated with the valve wheel. Arms extend from the head and are shaped and disposed so that one lying in a bathtub can use his feet to engage said arms and actuate the arms substantially upward or downward to control the water flow in the bathtub.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide a new and improved valve Wheel control for a bathtub valve wheel in order that the same can be turned on or off with the feet of a person lying in a bathtub.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a new and improved valve wheel control which can be removably associated with existing bathtubs valve wheels without modifying the same for controlling the water flow in bathtubs with the feet of a person in the bathtubs.

Other and further objects will become readily apparent from reading the description in connection with the drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of my invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of my invention taken on a plane passing through the line 22 in FIG- URE 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 illustrating another embodiment of my invention wherein the valve wheel control is formed for actuation by a different foot;

FIGURE 4 is a front view of still another embodiment of my invention wherein a removable valve wheel which is formed for actuation with either foot as illustrated;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along the plane passing through the line 5-5 and looking in the direction of the arrows in FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 6 is a pictorial view illustrating how the embodiments of my invention shown in FIGURES 1 and 3 are associated with the existing valve wheel controls on a bathtub.

Referring to the drawings wherein like characters of reference illustrative corresponding parts throughout, the removable valve wheel control of FIGURE 1 has a head 12 with a cavity (not shown) which is shaped to conform with an existing valve wheel such as the one shown in section in FIGURE 5 in order that it can receive the same and be rigidly associated therewith. The head 12 can be composed of a cavity of materials ranging from stainless steel to a flexible or resilient material such as hard rubber or the like. In the embodiment shown in the drawing, an aperture 12a is provided for receiving a threaded fastener or the like for purposes of rigidly associating the same with the existing valve wheel or control. An arm 17 extends from the head 12 and is illustrated in FIGURE 1 as extending in a curved manner to the right of a head 12. The arm has the apertures 17a, 17b and formed therein, said apertures being of varying size in order that the toes of an operators foot can engage the arm by protruding through said apertures. The existing valve wheel associated with the control arm illustrated in FIGURE 1 is unidirectional in that arm 17 when moved upward and/or downward either allows water of one temperature to flow or cuts off the water. The existing valve does not control water of two temperatures. In FIGURE 3 the valve wheel control 30 is constructed in substantially the same manner as the valve wheel control 10 except that the arm 22 thereof extends downward and to the left of the head 24 thereof in order that it can be applied to an existing valve wheel for actuation of the left foot of a person as illustrated in FIG- UR'E 6.

In FIGURE 4, the valve wheel control 26 is bi-directional in that it is intended for association with an existing valve wheel that is bi-directional. Although the valve wheel is shaped the same as the other valve wheels mentioned herein, actuation of the existing valve control wheel in either direction causes water at different temperatures to flow. The embodiment illustrated in FIG- URE 4 has a head 30 with a pair of curved arms 32, 33, which are respectively shaped as the arms '10, 20.

The arms 32 and 33 are preferably formed integrally with each other and have the head 30 located midway therebetween at the top of the valve wheel control. In operation the bi-directional wheel of FIGURE 4 can be conveniently actuated in either direction by both the left and right feet of a person by merely actuating one of the arms 32 or 33, downward.

From the foregoing description it is manifest that the objects of this invention have been fulfilled in a remarkably unexpected fashion. By providing the aforementioned control device, existing control wheels can be adapted for actuation by the feet of a person without having to modify the existing valve wheels. Thus in addition to accomplishing the result of enabling an operator to lie in a bathtub while controlling the flow of water with the same, the new and improved control mechanism can be adapted to existing valve wheels without making permanent changes in the existing valve wheels.

Although I have shown a specific construction of my device, I am fully cognizant of the fact that many changes in the shape and contour may be made without effecting its operativeness, and I reserve the rights to make such changes, as I may deem convenient without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A valve wheel control that is formed for association with existing valve wheels in bathtubs comprising:

a head portion that has a cavity formed therein which is shaped in conformity with the periphery of said existing valve wheels,

said head portion being rigidly associated by suitable means with said existing valve wheel when said cavity receives the periphery of said existing valve wheel, and

at least one crescent-shaped arm portion extending downwardly from said head portion,

said arm portion having apertured means for frictional engagement by the toes of a foot of a person in order that a person can control the flow of water with a foot while lying in a bathtub.

2. A water valve wheel control, as defined in claim 1 wherein said openings are formed of various sizes to receive different sized toes therein for actuation.

3. A valve wheel control, as defined in claim 1 wherein there are two crescent-shaped arm portions extending downwardly from said head portion and curved in opposite directions, whereby said existing valve wheel car: be actuated in either direction by actuation of either of said arms in a downward direction.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1). 187,096 1/1960 Young D2328 D. 187,847 5/1960 Kohler D23--28 D. 194,298 12/1962 Natho D2330 D. 206,522 12/1966 Stephensen et al. D2330 2,658,377 11/1953 Bashor et al. 4173 DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 23-28 

